Hyderabad blasts: 13 dead, 85 injured

Hyderabad: Terror struck Hyderabad killing 13 people and injuring 83 others tonight when two powerful near simultaneous blasts ripped through a crowded area close to a cluster of bus stands in Dilsukhnagar area.

The blasts triggered by Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) tied to two bicycles took place in the peak hour at two sites 100 metres apart outside a roadside eatery near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in the area located on the Hyderabad-Vijaywada national highway in Cyberabad police limits.

Image from Ibnlive.

Police said late tonight that 13 people, including two MBA students, have been killed in the blasts.

Eight of the 13 killed have been identified, they said.

A woman was among the dead, said state DGP Dinesh Reddy, who said it was "definitely the handiwork of a terrorist network." Reddy said IEDs were used in the attack.

Union Home Secretary R K Singh said the near two simultaneous very powerful blasts indicate that it was a "terror attack".

The twin blasts, described as dastardly by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who announced a Rs two lakh exgratia to the kin of each of the victims, triggered a stampede-like situation with people trying to scamper for safety as it left a bloody trail.

The scene wore a gory look with severed body parts lying around. Footwear and various other objects were also seen indicating the desperation of the victims and the injured to flee the spot.

The Dilsukhnagar area is thickly populated and traffic jams are routine in the evenings with officegoers and students rushing home. Large numbers of people wait at the numerous bus shelters, eateries and shops in the area.

Eight people were killed in the first blast that took place at 6.58 pm near Konark theatre and three in the second that followed three minutes later.

Shinde said two bombs were placed within a distance of 100 to 150 metres and placed in two bicycles.

The injured have been rushed to various hospitals by ambulances and police and bomb disposal squads swung into action and began searches.